Hope and Beyond
by penguin-girlx
Summary: There's a new kid in camp, who turns out to be Olympus' only hope to defeat the Titans, but first she must sort out her own problems.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is my first fanfic. It probably great, but R&R anyway please********. Thalia isn't a main character but the fact that she is no longer a huntress is vital.**

Thalia POV

He was gorgeous. Stunning. I couldn't resist…

Afterwards…

Oh my gods, I'd completely forgotten about that oath. That stupid oath! Why did I take it anyway?! It was pointless! I must have been out of my mind. But I wasn't a Hunter anymore, and that was the end of eternal life… Well, I don't regret it! I tried to convince myself-who would want to lead such a restrictive life? Not me! I just didn't have the commitment. That stupid goddess Artemis could just go and find another slave to wait on her. All the gods were stuck-up! I had only just realised. Well, what could I do? They were at least better than Kronos and the Titans, right?

…

Right?

I had never felt so clueless before.


	2. Trouble's just around the corner

Percy POV

"Nice one, dude," Grover slapped me on the back. "I've always wanted to use my chemistry class bombs for something, you know?" I sighed. That was the fifth school I'd blown up so far, and just when I thought I'd get through this year without creating a big fuss about yet another school building.  
"Sheesh, if not for the Mist I'd be hounded by policemen non-stop." I sighed.

"And old school teachers" Grover winked. "Hey, don't take it too hard, you may have injured one or two nice guys but not seriously, you know. Why don't we go for a walk."

"Okay…"I decided that anything was better than staying cooped up in my cabin wondering whether my old friends were dead and Grover was lying or not. We got up and left Camp Half-Blood, just wandering around the almost-deserted area, just to be left alone. This year, Mom had decided that it would be safer for me to live here instead of with her and Paul, or Blowfish as I now liked to call him. Just to piss him off, when he got on my nerves. Apparently she needed time to tell him about me.

I felt like an outcast, in the world outside Greek mythology where everyone was just enjoying themselves, unaware of the fact that Western Civilisation was on the verge of crumbling. But I wasn't the only one with problems-not far away we heard a roar, then a cry of fear, followed by a clatter and the sound of someone falling to the floor with a *thump.

Grover's eyes and mine met a mutual understanding-_lets go! _What we saw was nothing that I had expected…


	3. I get to know Arasien

**A/N:I know my chapters are pretty short, I'll try to make them longer though… please review and I'll try to make this interesting… its an idea I had ever since I read LOTR but adapted it to Percy Jackson.**

The first thing I noticed was a familiar sight- the back of the Minotaur, leaving the street, away from us. My heart raced and I charged after it, Riptide gleaming in my hand. It never knew what hit him as it disintegrated into dust. Then I remembered the cry I had heard earlier and ran back to Grover, who was kneeling over the body of a girl. I pushed him aside, taking in her injuries. It seemed, from the drink cans littered around the floor, that those were her only defence and her injuries were life threatening. She had passed out. I sensed Grover tapping my shoulder, but retorted, "Not now, pal. We have to take her to the hospital."

"No! Listen, Percy. Use your brain awhile, okay?! This girl is a _half-blood!"_

I just stared at him blankly, so he repeated, "She's a _half-blood. Demigod. Cousin. _Or maybe even… _Sister."_

"Okay! I got the point, so we rush our butts to camp, right?"

We rushed our butts to camp. I wasn't expecting Mr. D to give an enthusiastic response, but he actually looked genuinely concerned, called me _Percy Jackson_ and _told us to rush her to the first aid department. _ Usually he would have waved one of us away impatiently.

After Chiron and some helpers finished tending to her, I sat by her and realised why Dionysus was so nice to this case.

It was a sight of almost flawless beauty. She had hazel brown eyes, perfectly shaped eyebrows and soft caramel brown hair that reached her elbows. Gently, I brushed a lock away from her pale face and smiled at her.

"I'm… alive." She spoke her first words since her unconsciousness. She smiled at me weakly. "Where is this? What is that… liquid in my mouth?"

"It's necter and ambrosia. It will… cure you."

"Why does this sound like a ancient civilization?" eckoned

"Close… This may sound unbelievable, but you're the child of a Greek god-or goddess."

"Wh… You're having me on, aren't you?" But her eyes told me she had accepted it as a fact, although disbelieving.

Gosh, I liked her already.

"The Greek gods are still here. In fact, Mount Olympus is…"I gave her the usual pep talk, this time adding in the scary bit about the Titan uprising.

Looking at her again, I thought, "She's too innocent. She isn't fit for a half-blood life." I didn't know how wrong I was.

"My name is Arasien" She said. I suddenly remembered that we had skipped the introduction and awkwardly said "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." Instead of looking impressed like most newbie's did, she just nodded and gave a faint smile.

"Percy, Chiron needs to talk to us. Now! Its about the girl." Grover's bleating voice beckoned me to follow him.

In his office, Chiron's face was not the grim outlook it had sported ever since Thalia stole and sacrificed Bessie… for Kronos. "There's hope." He said. "You know, we go to the Oracle every time a new hero is found?" I nodded impatiently. "_Go to the time before the most powerful, find one thing to defeat the rival. Deceit used to reach the goal, brute force left rattling in a bowl. Not in a good poem mood, I really need to eat some food." _Chiron recited to us. I raises an eyebrow at Grover, who was giggling away at the last line.

"This is great! There's hope for us!" I yelled. "We must tell the campers."


	4. Freakiness awaits

**Sorry. I have a weird obsession going with penguins. Please review!!! I really need to know if this is going well.'**

When I saw Arasien the next day, I brought Annabeth, who had just returned from San Francisco, along. Immediately, I realised that two things were wrong.

The most expressive part of her- the eyes, were no longer hazel brown. They were… Was that… _purple? _ But I had made no mistake. Their colour had changed. Was this some sort of sign about her heritage?

There was a black ball of fur cuddled up beside her. What? That was just… freaky.

I had no time to think about that. Annabeth had been acting cranky ever since I took her into the room. For some reason she wouldn't talk to me and every time I asked her a question she would give a brusque answer to end the conversation.

Obviously, Arasien wasn't very impressed with her. I wasn't exactly proud of her weird behaviour either. Did she have to be so territorial with friends? When we got out of the room, I grabbed her and asked "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing! Why don't you go back and _chat_ with that _girl. _I'm sure you want to know more about _her life._"

"Why don't you like her?" I knew she was jealous, I just needed to hear it from her."

She refused to answer, instead walking in the direction of the Athena cabin. I ran after her and dragged her back.

"Is this the same reason why you hate Rachel? I'm sick of you trying to get all my attention! You sure don't deserve it if you keep on trying to prevent me from having a social life outside of _your_ circle of friends! I hate it when you make me _apologise_ for not doing anything wrong!" I yelled, hoping that Chiron was nowhere in hearing range. _Maybe I should just listen to Athena. If I end my friendship here- or at least not let her control me-everyone is happy. Except Annabeth. _

I'd stopped caring. In my anger, I ran to the beach and stirred up some minor typhoons, making them crash into each other when I was done venting.

The next day at lunch, Arasien lined at the back of Hermes cabin, ready to collect lunch from Chiron. Today it was roast chicken and salad. As Arasien poured half of the meal into the fire, I realised that her eyes were now blue. That little ball of fur? It was waddling inconspicuously behind her. It looked kind of cute, but I wanted to know their affinity. She seemed not to notice it at all. What was that thing, really? Was it a cute little pet or something far more sinister?


	5. Heritage

"What's with the… uh… penguin?!" I said while having archery practice. The little black creature was, as usual, following Arasien loyally at her heel.

"Oh, its just a cute little pet I had since I was five. I have no idea why, you know, but animals have some sort of affinity with me. I've also got a hedgehog and a dog. When they feel the need, they always find me! **Note: the animal thing has nothing to do with Olympian parent.**"

"How?" I said. I mean, it couldn't possibly be that... OH, I was tired of guessing. I wished that her parent would claim her already. Unless of course her parent was… Pan. But that was impossible! How could he have had any contact with civilisation in the Labyrinth until we found him—after which he _died!_

Or did he? The last time, he hadn't given up because of the satyrs' insistent believing that he was still alive. The Council still was convinced that Grover was lying. So was Pan alive or not? If not, all the satyrs sent by the Council were risking their lives to find… NOTHING! But that, to me, was now a minor problem.

"Well, I sort of _think_ things and they understand… and think back to me… Is this some strange demigod thing?"

"I can do it with horses, because Poseidon made them" I said, shooting an arrow which missed the board completely but coincidentally didn't miss Mr. D's file. He looked up and raised an eyebrow dryly.

"Need a little more practice, Peter Johnson?" he smirked annoyingly.

"Maybe I do, Mr. D"

"Hey, Percy, maybe we could try it with the horses when we're free" Arasien's arrow hit Mr D's shoe sole.

"You too, new kid!" he laughed.

"Nope. Right on target." She smiled and walked to the back of the Hermes line.

Mr. D was clearly holding back his anger. Since his fate was basically in her hands, the moment he offended her…

"Okay," I responded to Arasien's earlier suggestion. "Let's see if we do it the same way."

Later that day

_Hey boss, who's the friend? _Blackjack the Pegasus whinnied.

_Arasien is here to see if she can talk to you the way I can. You know, this way. _ I thought back.

Blackjack POV.

_That girl looked promising, I thought. There was something about her I couldn't describe-it was just attractive to me. And it wasn't the looks, no matter how great they were._

"_Hey Blackjack" she thought. It worked! She was one of us!"_

'_Sister?' I asked Percy._

"_Undetermined,' he shook his head._

"_Uh, Percy? I can communicate with the Pegasus, but I can't three-way with you."_

"_Okay. Time to switch to normal talking."_

Arasien POV

Although sharing the Hermes cabin with all those other people wasn't the most comfortable, overall, I was having a pretty good time at Camp Half-Blood.

After all, I had nothing to lose. Unlike all the other kids who had the other parent, my father had died when I was two. Having to fend for myself, I found a group of homeless people. Then when I first met Percy the Minotaur attacked. Camp Half-Blood was a safe haven. I had made some new friends- Beckendorf was very helpful, although a little shy and the kids in the Hermes cabin were quite friendly, if unwilling to rent out the cabin. So basically, I was happy, the fact that Kronos was about to beat us to a pulp when he got strong enough.

One day at the campfire, Chiron and Mr. D made an announcement-the gods had searched to the time before _they_ were born, even before Gaea and Ouranos, and found another world-a world with things so mysterious they could destroy evil-even immortal evil. But only one person has authority to enter-and only in our most dire time of need.

And the freaky thing? It was _me. _I'd just gotten here! Already, they expected me-with an _armed escort _(i.e. other half-bloods)-to do them the biggest favour ever? Coming with a larger risk of death than _any other quest ever?!_

Seriously, all I could say was "I'll think about it, okay?"

That was when everyone else protested. Apparently, they were more enthusiastic about saving Western Civilisation.

Sheesh, what was wrong with Asia anyway?

Anyway, one Apollo kid protested first. He said it wasn't fair, and everyone should have had a try. But Dionysus shushed them. I didn't know why he trusted me so much-was the Oracle really always right? I Was only average at most things, better at archery, maybe, and sword fighting, but not good at chariot racing. I always paired with Beckendorf to increase my chances-he was great at making all those little gadgets. Annabeth, who I personally thought was too self-centred and stuck-up, always persuaded Percy to pair with her.

My next job was to pick teammates to form my 'escort'. Artemis had arranged for all of the Hunters to help, but inconspicuously, so it wouldn't look like a demigod excursion. Also, their great sense of direction would help us to find the portal to the other world-no one knew where it was just yet, except that it was in Peru. Admittedly it was really, really, far away and the journey was likely to be a long and hard one, but you gotta do to save the world. Now that I would be the heroine, no one was really willing to help except Annabeth, Percy and Beckendorf, who I had to make do with.

The night before we left, I asked Percy, "What's it like to have a mother?"

"Great, but a little embarrassing."

"I wish _I_ had one."

"You do, you just don't know who it is out of… two possibilities."

I gave him a weird look.

"Aphrodite and Athena."

"You forgot Demeter."

"Okay, fine!"

"And how about all those minor goddesses? Come to think of it, I don't even remember my father! It was just based on what my friends said. It could have been a mother!"

"Don't confuse me! Anyway, talking about parents, I really miss my mom. I think I'll send her an iris message."

"What?"

"Watch." Percy went to the fountain outside his cabin, dropping a drachma in it. "Show me my mother Sally Jackson." The fountain shimmered and a 3D image of his mother appeared. "Hi mom" Percy smiled. "Oh Percy! Are you doing okay?" Percy told her everything. She screwed up her face and suddenly, she gasped.

"Percy, your friend! LOOK!"

"What's wrong with me!" I was a little insulted.

Percy was gasping now, too. Then he yelled "Bye mom!" and dragged me to the directors' cabin. He said just one thing.

"She's been claimed."


	6. Mixed Feelings

**Sorry, people who hate cliffys, or as I like to call it, **_**foreshadowing, **_** because I don't! It keeps people reading. Also sorry if I don't update quick enough, because I have stuff to do!**** THANKS to all of you who like the story. Yeah, I know there aren't many, so I guess I'll have to improve it. Suggestions are welcome.**

Percy POV

I should have figured it out, and I would have if not for the confusing animal thing… I think. The eyes! The way they changed colour in all shades of the… rainbow.

Yep, Arasien was the daughter of _Iris. _ Frankly, fine-maybe I wouldn't have figured it out, because iris just didn't seem like the type to have children. Well, not to me, mostly because I didn't _know_ any children of Iris. That is, until now.

"Arasien, congratulations. You can now set off for your quest having confirmed who your Olympian parent is," Chiron smiled. She grinned back uneasily, still not quite used to his being a centaur.

"One problem, Chiron."

"What? Isn't everyone happy now that you've been claimed? You know your other parent!"

"Well, I'd say the fact that I might not succeed in this quest and Kronos might smash you to a pulp overshadows that just a teensy bit, but _you still haven't told me who my mom is." _ Arasien was getting annoyed.

"Your mother is Iris." I told her.

"Uh?" She gave me the befuddled look.

"_Iris._ Goddess of the rainbow. She sends iris messages, remember last night?"

"Oh! I knew that sounded familiar. So. When are we leaving?"

"Actually, I expected you to be a _little_ more excited."

"Why? She dumped me in a street and let my dad to die. So are we getting to Peru as fast as we can or not?" She scrunched up her nose. Chiron gave me a worried look-and I understood it completely. He was afraid. Afraid that Arasien hated the gods. We all knew that was how the half-bloods who joined Kronos' side started off-resentment for their parents.

"Arasien, your mother had no choice! She probably thought that you were in good hands… How would anyone except the Oracle know things would turn out this way?! Gods have a life too!" Oops, wrong thing to say. She just got madder.

"Why can't I be part of her life?!" She exploded. "Why can't the gods just put their children into Camp Half-Blood the moment they're born? There are loads of demigods who were killed by monsters before they even had a chance!" She shot me a killer look. "I was almost one of them."

"Hey, I saved you!"

"You have NO IDEA how scary it was for me! I'd never seen a minotaur before!"

"Maybe I do!" I rolled my eyes, recalling my first, and rather hectic, day of camp.

"But you couldn't-didn't… you saw…" Arasien stuttered, then clamped her mouth shut rather suddenly.

"What? I didn't what?" I was suspicious. She was hiding something.

"NOTHING!" She clamped her mouth shut immediately.

Arasien POV.

I couldn't let them know my secret. It would give us a great advantage if the gossip on Mount Olympus spread like wildfire. When Hermes visited me the night before the quest (I was getting a bit sick of my life being so much like Percy's!!), he told me how everyone knew about Dionysus and the nymph. Even Kronos in that pit found out within literal seconds. And when all the half-bloods completed their quests? The labyrinth was found? Kronos knew. Oh, he knew. He knew every piece of news even after Luke merged into him. The minor gods were double agents. And I wasn't too sure anyone else could be trusted either, not even the not-so-minor gods. Not even fellow demigods. You never know… So I decided to keep it to myself. Sure, sooner or later they might guess, but at least we'd have a head start.

Oh yes, and that night, Hermes came to tell me that the gods would give me their full support, and that the ancient rules said that clues would be given on the way and they would make it obvious. Unfortunately, I thought, that would mean Kronos would also have a better chance to trick us.

I was starting to wonder if this was the right thing to do. I really needed to consider my choices. What if Kronos was right, and the gods were just exploiting us for their own purposes? It was actually kinda true, because all the quests were for them, not us! Camp Half-Blood was for us to hone our fighting skills-so we could ward of monsters for _them._ It was so unfair! And after the way they abandoned us too! The gods hardly thanked anyone for doing something for them either. Explaining why the telekhines became Kronos' allies.

But Kronos wasn't all a sweetie pie either. He'd tried to kill his own children in his thirst for power. And if I supported him, it meant I'd have to do horrible stuff like kill half-bloods who'd done nothing wrong, who were just being loyal to their parents. Like Percy. I couldn't do this to him, he'd saved my life! Not Beckendorf, either! He was so sweet and kind even if a little shy. And Grover had only disagreed to come on the quest with us because he cherished Juniper, who was worried for his life. Luckily, the Oracle hadn't predicted any death.

Nope, only possible failure.

I sighed and waited for the Hunters to arrive so that we could leave. But they didn't…


	7. Surprises and Enmity

**Just wait, I won't update very often. Even less next year, because there'll be school and stuff.**

Percy POV

Artemis wasn't in the best state when she came to camp in the wee hours. We had been waiting a long time for the Hunters to arrive.

"We were sabotaged! Kronos knows we have hope, but he doesn't know the details. He'll go all out to kill you! Every one of his cronies will be making sure that you don't live to see the morning. Many of my Hunters were killed, unfortunately. The job has gotten tougher, but I will give you my full support!"

The remaining group of hunters stepped forward, glaring at Arasien and me as if it was our fault. But how could it be our fault? I felt like this was as bad, no, worse than living as Katniss in _The Hunger Games._

"That's not it, Arasien," Artemis addressed my partner, whose eyes were filled with nervousness. "The Gods have searched deeper into the ancient rules. The clues to where the other world is are not in Peru. They are outside of Western Civilisation. In Asia, and Australia."

"That shouldn't be too hard. I lived in Asia when I was young. My father was Singaporean. I know my way around these places, he used to travel all the time."

"Great! You lead us around, then. But where do we start?" I asked Artemis.

"The first clue is provided in the ancient scroll. _Start in a place with many islands, the southernmost part of the south and the east." _Artemis read.

"Let's go! Do we need to buy tickets for the Hunters too?" Arasien asked.

"No, we'll take care of ourselves." A familiar voice said. Thalia stepped out from behind Artemis.

"Well, just follow us then." Arasien was clearly a leader. She sounded confident, but her eyes couldn't keep a secret. She was very nervous. This journey would be life threatening, even more so than any other quest.

We said our goodbyes quickly before setting off. "I guess we should go to the airport," Arasien suggested.

"Wouldn't there be a faster way to get to… Where exactly are we going?" Beckendorf asked.

"Indonesia. It's the southernmost country of Southeast Asia, and an archipelago." She said. "Well, I don't know if any of our relatives would be willing to offer transport, otherwise plane is the fastest. But Kronos can also sabotage us if he knows the flight."

"Fear not, brave warriors!" A heroic-looking Apollo had brought the sun chariot- or, in our case, limousine, to our aid. "You know, I thought of a nice sonnet about your quest…"

"WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW!" All of us yelled in unison.

"Now Apollo, would you _please_ spare us the poems and take us where we need to go?!" Annabeth implored. Apollo pouted.

"If not for the quest and the current circumstances, I'd have said no for the impudence!" He sulked. That was one of the benefits of being on such a quest, you could take advantage of the gods.

We climbed into the limo. It was styled for luxury, with a drinks bar and even a tiny theatre.

"Enjoy the ride, it'll take a while." Apollo took to the wheel as we settled down. Apollo had promised a ride whenever we needed one, and darkness when we needed it too. He'd just put a drape over his *vehicle.

Finally, we reached the island of Bali. We decided to stay at an inexpensive but decent hotel, making ourselves inconspicuous so that we wouldn't catch anyone's attention-especially people who were hoping to find-and kill-us.

"How exactly are we supposed to find clues?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, I don't know!" Arasien fell onto her bed, flustered.

"We're completely clueless," I said. Everyone shot me a 'quit the lame jokes' look and I began unpacking embarrassedly.

"Nevertheless," Arasien said to the group, "I think there must be one person keeping watch in case anyone tries to assassinate us.

"Duh… do you think we're stupid?" Annabeth still had a problem with Arasien, and both of them knew it.

"Look, if you're going to keep me from trying to kill you while on this quest, I suggest you stop being so antisocial." Arasien raised an eyebrow, which basically meant _Yes, but just you._

"So, I'm volunteering to take first shift tonight. How about two hours per shift?" I changed the subject to relieve tension. I spotted a relieved look on Beckendorf's face. He hated it when the girls quarrelled. Arasien looked at me.

"No, you look too tired. It's not good if you fall asleep on duty."

"So who's _not _tired?" Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I could collapse."

"Then you take the last shift and go to sleep now!" Arasien told her. "I'll take first shift, Percy second. Any objection?"

The room was silent. Everyone had fallen asleep.

"No," I answered for them, and then drifted off to the most horrible nightmare ever. I dreamt that it was my turn to go on duty and I was being shaken awake. But when I opened my eyes, it wasn't Arasien who was waking me up.

It was Luke. Or Kronos. I didn't know what to call him—or them- any more.

He said just one thing, and then disappeared.

"You can never hide from me. We'll always find you."

I sat up, gasping. After taking a moment to ensure that it was just a dream, I sighed and watched Arasien pace around the room before falling asleep again. I hated when Kronos talked to me through dreams. It was disturbing.

2 hours later.

Arasien POV

I hadn't realised that I was so sleepy. But I just couldn't get to sleep, no matter how heavy my eyelids were. I tossed and turned in my bed. I listened to music in my iPod Touch for about an hour. Finally, I gave up and decided to watch my friends. At about midnight Beckendorf got up and went to the toilet. Percy, although at first very perky on his job, began to stop pacing around the room and sank lower and lower into his seat. After a while I began to hear snoring. I knew Annabeth didn't snore like that and Percy was still awake, so it must've been Beckendorf.

But wait, wasn't he in the toilet? There was another possibility thought. _Monster breath._

_Ohno. Ohno. Ohno. _The words rang in my head like an alarm. I peered closely at a curtain next to the window. A clear silhouette of a _dracaena_ was etched in front of it. There was a faint shape of a burly woman in front of it.

_The Mist, _I thought._ I was right, not telling anyone would give us the advantage._

Silently, my hand slid to my bow and a quiver of arrows next to it. I aimed, and then released the string-the arrow was as silent as a gust of wind, as fast as a bullet. It hit the _dracaena_ in the middle of her forehead with such force that she flew out of the window and was engulfed by the darkness before she knew what had hit her. I couldn't help but giggle a little, but I was stunned by the fact that Kronos already knew where we were. I relished the idea of Annabeth being a double agent, but then shook the thought from my mind.

I didn't sleep at all that night. My new motto was _Trust no one, not even your friends. _I'd gotten that from the _Maze of Bones. _**Also written by Rick!**

It was sad. It meant that I had basically no real friends who I could trust. I sighed and tapped _Positivity_ on my iPod and listened to it while staring at the ceiling. I needed some encouragement.

The next day, we got an unexpected visit from Athena. She looked at Percy and me disapprovingly, for some reason, and then said, "The gods are looking into the ancient scrolls all the time. We have now found that the clue is not something written on a scrap of paper, but a general knowledge of the place you're in. So I'll be able to help with that."

"Thank you" we chorused uncomfortably.

"Another thing…" She glared at me while Annabeth smirked.

"Yes?" I asked nervously, since she seemed to be directing the comment at me.

"You remember how Hermes told you that minor gods were traitors?" I nodded.

"Your mother's a minor goddess…" It was all she had to say. I was shocked. I'd never liked her, but this was… unexpected. I felt tainted by association. Shocked. Hurt. I didn't know how to react. And, out of the corner of my eye, I sensed that Annabeth was still smirking away, taunting me. My heart raced. I didn't know whether to be apologetic, or annoyed, or…

An arm passed over my shoulder. It was Percy. He said, "It's not your fault," and then everything went black.

Percy POV

Arasien suddenly passed out in shock. I thought it was rather mean of Athena to treat it like it was her fault. I ended up holding her in my arms as she fell, and Annabeth's smirk twisted into jealousy again. She was always mad when I was nice to Arasien. Which made me want to do it, just to piss her off.

"Gosh!" Athena hadn't expected her to be so dramatic. "Well, Percy, maybe we should discuss this alone."

"MOM!" Annabeth protested. She wanted to know everything, which was strange because she'd never taken much interest in Arasien before.

"Fine, all of you come." Beckendorf was the most sensible, he kept calm and just followed Athena's instructions. I was all ready to freak out on the inside, but kept steady.

We entered the bedroom and each of us sat on a bed. Athena sat on mine, uncomfortably close to me. I could just feel some godly aura from her.

"The thing is, she needs to be adopted by one of the other gods now. They haven't reached a decision yet, though, and I'm not doing it." Suddenly, a startled man's voice exclaimed, "The gods are alive!"

"Mom, would you change that stupid ringtone!" Annabeth said, but Athena was too busy answering a call.

"Hello... yes, I'm talking to them now... WHAT?!...oh, okay... just like him... well, if that's all... oh, how could I forget... bye." She placed her phone into her tote and turned to me. "She's been accepted... by..."

"Wait!" I interrupted, "Arasien should be hearing this." I willed some cold water from the tap in the toilet to come and splashed it all over her face rather messily. She woke up.

"Sorry," Arasien still looked stricken. She looked at the floor. "I'm going to the toilet." While waiting, though, I heard rummaging, and then the tap came on.

"That's not..." I ran to the door, about to ask her what she was doing, but decided to press my ear against the door instead.

Arasien POV

I finally found a golden coin. I stared at it for a second, then turned the tap on and threw it into the sink. I heard some feet shuffling and a faint bump against the door. I knew one of them must have been listening, but I'd stopped caring.

"Iris" I whispered. I knew few people would have tried this. "Show me... you."

"What is it? Don't waste my time." A fuzzy picture of a woman sitting in an armchair sipping a drink appeared. She turned to her fountain. Then dropped the drink. "It... It's you... why..."

"Hi...mom."

"You...I..."

"I just wanted to see what you looked like... I've never seen you before..." I wiped away the tear that was coursing down my cheek. Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Percy came in and closed the door.

"Arasien, you don't need to do this."

I ignored him. "And another thing, mom..."

"Arasien, I'm..."

"I HATE YOU." I cut her off and turned off the tap just in time to see her stricken face. Then I just buried my face in a towel and cried.

Percy POV

I didn't know what to do. Girls were just so dramatic. Well, this one was, anyway. Hesitantly, I put an arm around her. "It's okay…" Annabeth and Beckendorf barged in.

"What happened?" Beckendorf asked, concerned.

"She sent an iris message to Iris" I answered.

"And she looks pathetic." Annabeth said. "Are you quite done?"

"No." I said. "You don't know what it's like!"

"Is she okay?" That was Beckendorf.

"I'm fine." Arasien bit her lip and walked out.

Athena smiled. "Finally! Now as I was saying, since Iris is no longer part of Mount Olympus, another god has to foster you. Hermes just called, and we've got a winner. It's…"


	8. Secrets

09:46

**IF YOU READ THIS STORY, PLEASE REVIEW I need some self esteem. Also, I've decided to make Annabeth good to appease the hordes of Annabeth fangirls out there. What I'd do for a few good reviews. YAY! I'm up with 5 reviews! I know, its pathetic. And I know I have really short chapters but this is because I try to update often and I'm too lazy to write more and I have a mental block right now, so live with it. **

Arasien POV

"It's your dad." Athena announced.

"Uh?" I was confused.

"I was talking to Percy."

"So you mean Poseidon adopted me?" Oh gods, it meant I was Percy's little sister now. Everyone was stunned for a moment. I could just sense Annabeth seething with anger.

"You don't mind, do you? I'm sure Poseidon did it for Percy, seeing as he's on such good terms with you." Athena addressed me.

Percy POV.

I heard Annabeth groan. "Yeah, _really _good terms!"

"Annabeth!!" a voice came. At first I thought it was her mother, but when I looked up, the goddess was already gone. It was Arasien. "I think we need to talk."

"Could I leave?" Beckendorf asked nervously. "Uh, the hotel's serving breakfast, and I'm starving!" It was an excuse. I knew he just didn't want to be around while the girls sorted out their business.

"I'll go with you. It's dangerous out there alone!" He wasn't the only one with excuses. Thankful for the support, he led me to the lift and showed me how he'd modified his sneakers so that when he applied pressure on the side, a poison-tipped knife blade would fly out.

Annabeth POV

"What did you want to tell me about?" I acted calm, but I really was ridden with guilt. I knew it was mean, but I wanted Percy all for myself. I couldn't stop myself from being mean to people who he liked better. It was as if he'd totally forgotten that kiss on Mount St. Helens…

"You."

I could've guessed it. "Look, you're right. We should talk about this. The thing is, I can't help this."

"What?"

I shrugged. "_It's not easy being mean. _It's a book title.

"Then why _be_ mean? It doesn't make sense." She took my hand, awkwardly. "Look, we have to sort this out _once and for all._ I know this sounds weird, but I think we'd be better off as friends!"

"Then are you willing to forget that I was ever mean? I mean, the thing is, I really like Percy. And it's in my nature to be territorial. It's just the way I am."

"I'd be willing to be best friends. It's your only problem." She was so nice. I didn't think she had _any _problems.

I couldn't believe this had been so easy. She was good at solving problems! I couldn't wait to see the boys' faces when we walked out, arms locked, faces beaming with confidence, best friends forever.

Breakfast Table

Percy POV

The girls looked so different. They looked like they had been best friends all their lives, not… what they were.

"Hi Percy!" Annabeth said. She sounded different. Cheerful. Contented. Like she had no more problems to worry about.

"Today they're serving grape juice, eh?"

"Wow, who are you and what did you do to my friends?!" It was a real change.

"HOLD IT!" Beckendorf ran up between us. "I could've sworn it was orange juice!" I laughed. How could today's menu on the board outside the restaurant be wrong? "No, seriously." He said.

"Maybe Mr.D is trying to help us…" I suggested.

"OR maybe you saw wrong!"

"OR maybe some monsters are trying to sabotage us!"

"Okay!" Arasien shushed us. "I'll test whether this is from Mr. D or not.

She poured some grape juice into a disposable plastic cup. Then she went outside of the hotel and took out some hotel-provided matches. Then she lit a small fire inside a circle of rocks and poured the juice in it.

"Dionysus, if this if your supplication, tell us so." It was the food offering we gave each day at Camp.

Nothing.

"Maybe now I should test it for poison?" she said uneasily.

"How?" Annabeth asked.

"Good luck, Squooshy!" That little penguin waddled out of her canvas bag. "Percy, would you get another cup of the stuff."

"But you love him!" I protested.

"I could answer that in many ways, ranging from 'There are loads of penguins but only one set of gods' to 'JUST GO.' Besides, I have other companions. A hedgehog and little puppy in the bag."

"I wonder why you have such a thing with animals," I said. Squooshy dipped its little head in the cup and lapped it up.

Nothing.  
Wait, a little piece of paper was at the bottom of the cup. Words were stained on it, grape juice words.

Mr. D had helped us.

"Read the note!" Beckendorf pushed me towards the cup. I gingerly picked up the note and read the wavy handwriting.

_Trust no one but the talented one. Look to the gods in your time of need._

"I could've figured that out myself!" I said. "What's the meaning of this?"

"It probably means we'll have a time of need pretty soon!" Annabeth retorted. I flipped the note over.

_The first words that come to your heads about the first country lead you to the place where the next clue is. The seventh clue leads you to the exact place in Peru. _

"What's that mean?" Beckendorf asked.

"I think it means we're going to seven countries before Peru and the clue in this place leads us to the next.

Arasien POV

I didn't think that anyone would have found out about my ability to see through the Mist so quickly. That _was_ what 'talented' one was, right? I hoped it would be some friend of the gods we were about to meet. I looked out of the window, sighing. At that moment, a shiny sports car flew through the sky. Apollo waved at me and pointed at the banner behind the car:

_Nope, it's you._

We were sitting inside a local tourist bus, about to watch a traditional dance contest. We needed to know as much as possible about this country.

Moments later, we were sitting in a small amphitheater watching the competition. While the dancers strutted around the stage, I had a queasy feeling we were being watched. I looked around. Sure enough, a large Cyclops even bigger than Tyson was huddled in a corner, taking his eyes off the stage once in a while to check on us. When he turned his head back to the stage, I crept out.

"Boo" I whispered behind him, then stabbed him in the back. The person next to him wondered why it was suddenly so dusty and the man beside her was replaced with me. I tried to make out I was a magician or something, then went back to Percy, Annabeth and Beckendorf.

"We need to be more alert! I just killed a Cyclops."

Percy twitched, the way he did when we mentioned anything related to Cyclopes being bad. It was something to do with Tyson. I knew how he felt, his half-brother's species being thought of as horrible and evil, but I didn't feel that way. I wasn't _really _Tyson's half-sister, and I didn't go through the same things they did… but all the same I knew it must be tough on him.

Annabeth POV

After the dance contest, we checked out of the hotel. We'd have to keep moving, nowhere was safe. We even made arrangements to sleep in Apollo's sun-caravan so we didn't need to keep watch.

One night none of us could sleep, so we sat on our beds and started talking to each other. Mine, of course, was pushed right next to Arasien's. We were practically best friends now. We'd tell each other girly secrets, have private jokes, do what the other person did. She even started calling Percy Seaweed Brain, which was like totally my kind of thing! Only really close friends could share it. Like Thalia. And I didn't mind her using it.

So then she said, "Maybe we should do something to build trust in the ranks. You never know when any of us will turn around and join Kronos."

I raised my hand excitedly. I'd already thought of something.

"We'll get each other to tell everyone all their secrets. They'll be safe with us, who else is there to tell? And then you have to swear upon the river Styx never to join Kronos or tell anyone our secrets. And never hide anything from each other-if we have any more secrets we have to tell it to at least one person here. Because even if they're evil, Kronos and the Titans respect oaths, especially on the River Styx-it's said that a curse will be put on any who breaks the oath, a terrible oath from the evil god Erebus. Everyone who broke the oath died a horrible death."

It just came out so fast. Only a few seconds later did I realise that I didn't want to reveal all my secrets either. Everyone paused for a few seconds, then Percy said, "Hey, that's not fair! You can tell Arasien all your secrets, but I don't have someone like that!"

"Beckendorf, Percy, meet your new best friend!" Arasien pushed them together. "There, problem solved. So are we agreed on the Styx thing?" We looked at each other unsurely. Then slowly, everyone nodded.

"Good. Lets start!" I clapped my hands. "We'll draw lots on who goes first."

After all that, Percy cleared his throat.

"Well, okay, uh… I like Mr. D. And… Luke? I like him almost as much as you do, Annabeth. But I just don't want to take any chances. And "

I was getting mad-that wasn't fair! He liked Luke too! And yet, _my_ liking Luke was wrong? Arasien put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a 'calm down' look. She could sense I was angry.

Percy took the oath, then it was Beckendorf's turn. "Actually, I don't really like people calling me Beckendorf anymore… I used to like it since it reminded me of my mom, but now? Charles will do. Or even Charlie, or Chuck, or whatevz. And the other thing is, I don't really like all this making stuff and technology. That's my dad's turf, but I actually want to be… _normal._ It's just that I'm good at it. Not that I like it. But I won't stop making stuff for you; the part I like is using the stuff I make for something." I was starting to get jittery, their secrets were all so _non-embarrassing._ Now I knew why boys always won Truth or Dare. It was my turn. I took a deep breath and spoke-

"Percy…" He looked at me, anxious. "I…love…you…" I finally got it out.

"Oh," he said, trying to look as if he expected that. He didn't want me to feel out of place. So did Beckendorf, no, that would be Charles. Only Arasien's face was completely calm. She had known since the morning that when I said I really liked Percy, I meant _love. _Which was even before I did. I'd had to search my feelings for the truest thoughts before realizing that my feeling for Percy wasn't the same as the way I had liked Thalia or Grover or Silena or any other friend. The only other time I'd felt this was with Luke. And yet, I still found it so hard to give up…

I took the oath. Then it was Arasien's turn. I was dying to know what she hadn't already told me. She was a true friend, and when true friends don't tell each other things, they're big things.

Arasien POV

It was the moment of truth. But now, I knew my secrets were safe with my only-friends-until-the-end-of-the-quest. I took a deep breath.

"I don't think the father I had when I was younger is my real dad. I don't look like him at all. I actually love my mother and I wish she'd come back. I feel so confused! I don't know what I feel anymore…" There were nods all around, understanding smiles… Annabeth put her arm around me. I could tell we were all extremely uncomfortable. The boys didn't know how to react and Annabeth and I… our secrets were just so … so much worse to tell than theirs. She was a true friend.

"Well, if that's it, you can take the oath and we'll go to sleep" Charles rubbed his eyes.

"It isn't! There's another thing!" I stopped him. Six eyes looked at me inquisitively.

"I… I can see through the Mist." Their inquisitivity became shock. Being able to see through the Mist was more than just seeing things more clearly. It meant I could sense the presence of monsters, gods and titans, it meant I could manipulate people into thinking what I wanted them to, it meant I could even read thoughts-sometimes. I was a valuable member of this team, and the last one that could be harmed if we were ever going to get to Peru and back. Unfortunately. I was wishing right now that Percy was the one who had to enter the unknown land. Wasn't he always the one who had to do important stuff? I wasn't even a child of the Big Three! Not even a child of one of the gods on Mount Olympus!

I fell asleep thinking about it.


End file.
